A Hamilton County budget shortfall could force officials to cut more than 300 county
jobs, according to Hamilton County Administrator Christian Sigman. If the county doesn’t fix
its problems, it could fall into “fiscal emergency.” Officials are
worried some cuts could jeopardize functions required by state law. A
recent study found that the national unemployment rate would be at 7.1
percent if it wasn’t for government job cuts.

More than $85 million has been awarded to local
transportation projects by the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of
Governments. The funding will go to Metro buses, roads, traffic signals
and more.

City Councilmember Charlie Winburn, the lone Republican on City Council, is thinking about running for mayor in 2013. Mayor Mark Mallory is currently serving his last term, so he will not be able to run again.

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted said he is considering
establishing uniform early voting hours statewide. Recently, Democrats
have been accusing Republicans of a statewide conspiracy to extend
voting hours in Democratic counties and shrink voting hours in
Republican counties.

Ohio was the 13th fattest state in 2011, according to a new report from
the Center of Disease Control. Fortunately, Ohio managed to
stay under a 30 percent obesity rate, unlike the 12 fattest states.

In the future, Ohio will be the ninth worst state to live
in, according to a new Gallup analysis. Ohio still beat
Kentucky, which ranked third worst. Not so fortunately, Utah topped the
ranks. I’ve been to Utah, and I prefer Ohio. I don’t trust your math,
Gallup!

The Medicaid expansion does not have to be permanent,
according to federal officials. States can expand then scale back,
although it will cost federal funds. Medicaid expansions have been
proven to save lives and boost health, but Gov. John Kasich is still undecided about the expansion.

Ryan is known for a proposed budget that would offer
massive tax cuts to the rich while attempting to reduce the deficit by
gutting Medicare.

If one is to believe TMZ’s absclusive titled “Paul Ryan: He’s Hiding A Six Pack,” then one could see why.

An intrepid CityBeat intern spent most of Monday morning
searching for pictures of said abs, but was only able to turn up the
vice presidential candidate waving ironically from his yacht.

According to TMZ’s unnamed Hill source, Ryan hits the gym
every morning at 6 a.m., and his routine is “fierce.” The source, who
talks like a stereotype, says Ryan is kind of on the skinny side, but
“totally ripped and has a six pack.”

Ryan’s press camp responded to the news by challenging Joe Biden to a sit-up contest in lieu of a vice presidential debate.

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced his running mate Saturday:
U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan. Ryan is currently the chairman of the U.S. House
of Representatives Budget Committee. He is known by many Republicans as
an “intellectual” in the party. He is known by everyone else as the guy
who tried to dismantle Medicare. Ryan is also a Miami University
graduate, and he was once a staffer for now-Gov. John Kasich when Kasich
was still a congressman.

State Rep. Connie Pillich, a Democratic House member for suburban Cincinnati, is facing a tough campaign for re-election against Republican Mike Wilson. One of the reasons the campaign is more difficult for Pillich this time is the redistricting process was used to redraw her district to favor Republicans.

Hamilton County is going to be holding eight budget
forums. The forums give the public an opportunity to discuss what they
think should be prioritized and slashed in the next Hamilton County
budget.

A new report found the 2020 Cincinnati jobs market will be
dominated by health care and computer jobs as the city continues its
strong growth. The report also found a surprising amount of top jobs
will only require a high school diploma or an equivalent to a high school diploma.

The Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes
(COAST) is continuing its dishonest campaign to block the Blue Ash
Airport deal, but Cincinnati and Blue Ash lawmakers don’t seem too
worried. At least COAST admits it’s largely interested in blocking the
streetcar “boondoggle,” not just the legitimacy or details of Blue Ash
rescinding the original deal. CityBeat previously covered the Blue Ash Airport issue here.

The number of Ohio homeowners late on mortgage payments
rose in the second quarter, according to a new report. The rise reverses
a trend of dropping mortgage delinquencies seen earlier in the year.

The Complete Ohio College task force will be meeting for
the first time today. The group is meant to increase the amount of
college degree holders in Ohio.

The Brookings Institute released a study that shows unemployment would be at 7.1 percent without cuts to government job.

Romney has called for a truce on his business record and
tax history. Apparently, Romney wants to focus on issues, even though
he’s the one that has repeatedly brought up his business record time and
time again. Seriously, is this real life?

New system will save taxpayer money and combat voter fraud

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted announced today that
there is a new way for registered voters to change their voting address:
the Internet.

If the state had done this in 2008, about 130,000 provisional ballots could have been cast as regular ballots, according to Husted. Provisional ballots are ballots used to record a vote when there are questions surrounding a voter's eligibility. Provisional ballots are sometimes discounted if a person fails to prove his/her eligibility to vote.

“This added convenience for voters is also a powerful tool against voter
fraud as current and accurate voter rolls leave less room for abuse,” Husted said in a press release.

Husted said the new system will also save tax dollars. For each
registration done online instead of by mail or in-person, the state
saves money.

The website requires four identification keys: a last
name, an Ohio driver's license number, the last four digits of a Social
Security number and a date of birth. Registered voters that supply this
information will be able to submit an application for an address change.

Applications will be reviewed by county election boards.
If the address change is accepted, the election board will send an
acceptance letter by mail to the new address.

The state is working heavily with the Ohio Bureau of Motor
Vehicles to share voter data. At this time, more than 6 million of
Ohio's registered voters will be able to change their addresses online.

To change an address online, voters can visit the Ohio
Secretary of State page at MyOhioVote.com. Anyone who registers between
now and October will also be put in a line to receive an application to
vote by mail for the November elections.

Faced with the choice of raising property taxes or funding
senior and mental health services at their current levels, the
Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners voted on Wednesday to
approve a ballot measure that would effectively cut tens of millions of
dollars from those services if passed by voters.

“It seems wrongheaded for us to ask citizens to pay more
in taxes when their homes are worth less, when costs have gone up in
their households and when in many cases their paychecks are down,” said
Board President Greg Hartmann. “So we need to hold the line on those
property taxes.”

The tax rate would be held at the levels passed by voters
in 2008, which would be an effective reduction due to declining property
values. If Hamilton County voters approve the levies in November,
senior services would see a $7 million reduction in funding over the
next five years — down to $97 million from $104 million — while funding
for mental health services would fall $17 million from $187 million to
$170 million, Hartmann said.

The money funds services such as meals on wheels, in-home care for seniors, counseling and drug and alcohol addiction and treatment services.

The board’s sole Democrat — Commissioner Todd Portune —
made the symbolic gesture of submitting an alternate proposal which
would have funded services at the levels providers had requested, but it
failed without support from either of the board’s two Republican
members.

Portune’s resolution would have increased property taxes
by $5 for every $100,000 the property was worth. He said voters should
be given the option to shoulder the additional tax burden. He later
voted in favor of Hartmann’s resolution, saying the worst thing that
could happen would be for voters to approve no levy.

Commissioners also approved a resolution to formally
review all healthcare services provided by the county in hopes of saving
money by eliminating any that were duplicated at the federal level
under the healthcare overhaul.

Hartmann said he didn’t come to the decision to keep the
levies at the current rate lightly and pledged to work with the
recipients to manage the reduction.

Many of those providers appeared at three public hearings
held in the last month and with near unanimity asked commissioners to
approve the increased rates — which would have kept funding even by
countering the money lost from decreased property values.

Patrick Tribbe, president and CEO of the Hamilton County
Mental Health and Recovery Services Board, didn’t outline specific cuts
the agency would undertake, but told reporters after the commissioners’
vote that he would spend the next six months planning for the start of
the next fiscal year, when the cuts would take effect.

The Tax Levy Review Committee had recommended that the
property tax rate remain flat instead of increasing. It suggested that
service providers reduce their administrative costs and find areas to
increase efficiency.

Many of the providers who spoke at the public hearings
said they had already cut administrative costs about as deeply as they
could and had very little room for to cut further.

Hamilton County commissioners will vote on levies today. If commissioners do not increase the money levies generate, mental health services could be severely cut in Hamilton County. On Aug. 1, Thomas Gableman, Mental Health and Recovery Services Board Chairman, told the commissioners, “I cannot tell you we can do more with less. We cannot do the same with less. We will do less with less.”

Republicans, including local state representative candidate Mike Wilson, have been pushing false information regarding a lawsuit filed by President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party to restore early voting. After releasing a misleading press release, Wilson clarified his position to CityBeat. Politifact rated Mitt Romney’s accusations “False.”

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is calling for new regulations on internet cafes. Internet cafes have been taking advantage of legal loopholes to hold contests, according to a press release from DeWine’s offices.

Ohio could finish the 2013 fiscal year with a $408 million surplus. The surplus could give more ground to Gov. John Kasich’s call for an income tax cut.

The swine flu outbreak in Ohio is being watched carefully by CDC officials. The CDC is worried the virus could mutate, making it deadlier or more contagious.

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has a big announcement about elections tomorrow.

One reason for high health-care costs may be the fee-for-service model. The model encourages doctors to provide as many medical procedures as possible, even when they might not be necessary.

The campaign manager of Mike Wilson, the Republican candidate for state representative in Ohio’s 28th district, sent out a press release late afternoon Monday. Its headline read: “Wilson stands with military voters: Opposed Obama effort to attack military voting rights.”

The accusation localized a national issue that had been driven through networks all weekend. It started with presidential candidate Mitt Romney. On Saturday, after Romney was asked a question about a lawsuit President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party had filed against state officials to restore all early voting in Ohio, the Romney camp posted a statement on Romney’s Facebook page: "President Obama's lawsuit claiming it is unconstitutional for Ohio to allow servicemen and women extended early voting privileges during the state’s early voting period is an outrage." The message went on to say Romney stands by the "fifteen military groups" opposing the lawsuit.To be clear, the lawsuit Obama and the Democratic Party filed on July 17 is not meant to diminish or take away anyone’s voting rights. On the contrary, it is meant to give early voting rights to everyone, including military personnel. Right now, in-person early voting begins on Oct. 2, but it is cut off three days before Election Day for everyone except military personnel and their families, who keep the right to vote in-person on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before Election Day. If the lawsuit is successful, those three days of in-person early voting will be extended to the rest of Ohio’s voting population.

So any accusation that Obama and the Democrats are trying to take away or attack anyone’s voting rights is false.

But that has not deterred Republicans from using the attack. They used it in press releases and statements all day Monday. The Wilson campaign invoked the attack in its own press release when it said it opposed the “Obama effort to attack military voting rights.” But Wilson’s opposition is a bit more nuanced than the political spin Republicans have wrongfully put on Obama’s lawsuit.

“I think there are a few potential outcomes out of the lawsuit: One is the three days are extended to everyone, another is the court strikes down the three days altogether,” Wilson says.

Wilson is worried a court could agree with the premise of the lawsuit — that it is unconstitutional to give one group of people, meaning military personnel, extra voting rights — but not the goal of the lawsuit: that all in-person early voting rights should be extended to all Ohio citizens. The result of that ruling could be the repeal of the three extra in-person voting days. That would ensure everyone’s rights are treated equally because then no one would have the extra right of voting in-person one, two or three days early.

However, this outcome is not desirable by the Obama team or the Democrats. On the contrary, Ohio Democrats have repeatedly pushed for legislation that restores early voting rights Republican legislators did away with in H.B. 194 and H.B. 224 in 2011. Before those two laws, Ohio allowed everyone to vote in-person a full five weeks before Election Day. So if Obama and the Democrats had their way, this lawsuit would not be necessary because all in-person early voting days would still be available to all Ohio voters, just like they were in 2008 and 2010.

If the Obama lawsuit reaches its goal and voting rights are extended to all citizens, Wilson still has some concerns. Under that scenario, Wilson is worried military personnel would have longer lines when they go out to vote, which he says would be harder on military personnel that have restrictions on travel and free time due to their jobs.

But those restrictions on travel and free time are why absentee ballots exist in the first place, and absentee ballots would be unaffected by the Obama lawsuit. Absentee ballots allow voters — traditionally military voters — to mail in ballots without showing up to a polling station. Military personnel can start mailing in absentee ballots starting on Oct. 2, regardless of the lawsuit.

The two scenarios Wilson presented are similar to the reasons given by military organizations for opposing the lawsuit.

Even if either scenario came true, all Ohioans — including military personnel — will still be able to vote early starting Oct. 2. The lawsuit only deals with in-person voting on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before Election Day.

And the rest of the world blinks with mild incredulity

BREAKING NEWS EVERYBODY!

The Boy Who Cried Wolf, yes, the proverbial shepherd boy
from Aesop’s Fables who was so lonely that he invents a wolf attack to
get the villagers’ attention, has endorsed serial liar state Treasurer Josh Mandel for U.S. Senate. According to the Ohio Democratic Party.

We at CityBeat receive many news releases all day, but
this appears to be the first time a fictional character has endorsed a
candidate for Senate. Though the release is right that Mandel has a
“penchant for repeating previously debunked lies,” the sheer absurdity
of the release has caused the news team here at your friendly
neighborhood alt weekly to dub it “the dumbest press release of the
week.”

Here’s the release in its entirety, with names of the guilty redacted. Happy weekend, y’all.

COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Boy Who Cried Wolf announced
his endorsement of Josh Mandel today, ending speculation about who the
world renowned liar would support in the Ohio senate race this November.

"Josh Mandel shares my ideals, my values and most importantly my less-than-casual relationship with the truth," said the Boy Who Cried Wolf.
"Us serial liars need to stick together, and now that Josh Mandel's
officially been crowned King of Ohio's Liars, the choice for me is
simple. I'm honored to support Josh and I look forward to joining him
and his special interest friends on the campaign trail as they lie about
Sherrod and distort his record on the issues from now through
November."

The Boy Who Cried Wolf rose to fame for repeatedly
proclaiming that his sheep were being attacked by a wolf, when in fact,
no wolf had attacked his sheep. Much like the Boy Who Cried Wolf, Josh
Mandel's star has risen largely because of his penchant for repeating
previously debunked lies. This week Josh Mandel earned the "Pants on Fire crown" from Politifact Ohio, an award reserved for the worst liar among all Ohio politicians.

Northern neighborhoods can prepare for calls, canvassers

President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign is upping its
ground game in Cincinnati, opening its fourth field office in the city on
Thursday evening.

The new College Hill office will be the source of phone
calls and canvassers to the Mount Healthy, Northside, North College Hill and
College Hill neighborhoods. The Obama campaign already has field offices in
East Walnut Hills, Cheviot and Forest Park.

Obama’s Republican rival Mitt Romney’s campaign has three
offices: in Kenwood, Westwood and Colerain. Staff contact Kelsey Romanchik said
she didn’t know if there were plans to open more.

More than 150 people braved the sweltering Cincinnati
humidity for the opening of the Obama College Hill field office. They were
greeted by a drum line outside of the office, as well as inside a mainstay of
any such campaign event — snacks.

Keynote speaker City Councilman Cecil Thomas sounded off
many of the Obama campaign’s talking points, attacking Romney’s tenure at Bain
Capital, his refusal to release further tax returns and Romney’s tax plan,
which a recent study by the Tax Policy Center says will raise taxes on the
middle class by eliminating popular tax credits.

City Council approves ballot measure for non-staggered option

Cincinnati voters will decide in November whether to double
the length of their council members' terms.

City Council voted 6-3 on Wednesday to put the ballot
initiative before voters. The measure would have all nine members run at the
same time, instead of a competing ballot initiative that would have staggered
their terms.

“We are the only major city in Ohio that still has two-year
terms for its leaders, and the cities that we compete with are also moving to
four-year terms, including Louisville and as far as St. Louis, Minneapolis,
Denver and Atlanta,” said Councilwoman Laure Quinlivan, who spearheaded the
effort.

If approved by voters, the change wouldn’t affect
council members serving currently and would go into effect in 2013.

Not every council member was thrilled with the idea.

“I think accountability is paramount, and I don’t see going
from two-year terms to four-year terms as increasing the accountability
citizens want,” said Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, who was one of three new
faces to join council in last year's election, which saw four Republican incumbents booted from
City Hall.

“I’m sure it’s not lost on my colleagues that last November
the electorate was craving change and wanted change, and if we had been in the
middle of a four-year cycle they wouldn’t have had the opportunity to make that
change and a substantial portion of this council … wouldn’t be sitting up here
today.”

Sittenfeld equated an election to a job evaluation. He,
along with councilmembers Chris Smitherman and Charles Winburn, voted against the
ordinance.

Quinlivan has said her rationale for pushing four-year
terms would be to eliminate the cycle that currently has sitting council members
spending half of their terms campaigning.

Councilman Cecil Thomas said four-year terms would allow council members
to focus on longer-term projects as well.

“Four years gives us plenty of time to gel together, to work
together,” Thomas said.

Councilman Chris Seelbach attended all four public hearings
council held throughout the city and called the number of people who support
four-year terms “unbelievable.” Seelbach said he himself was “semi-conflicted”
over the proposed changes, but was not conflicted over whether voters should
have that choice: He voted in favor.

Mayor Mark Mallory was sure to remind councilmembers before
their vote that they are forbidden from using city resources to campaign for a
ballot initiative.